MEMOREX CD/MP3 PLAYER - A Decent MP3 Player
Written: Jun 23 '03
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Pros: MP3 Enabled, Sturdy Construction, Reasonable Price
Cons: Poor Search Function
The Bottom Line: Good But Needs Improvement
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| spongebob_man1's Full Review: Memorex MPD8507 Personal CD Player |
I purchased the Memorex CD/MP3 Player about 2 months before I shipped out for basic training. So, that was August of 2002 when I bought it.
I wanted something that would play regular CDs as well as MP3s since that's what most of my collection is formatted in (space saving = lots more music). I bought my Memorex at Target for $64.99.
Durability:
It is a very sturdy CD player I've been very surprised. I took it to basic with me so it's been jostled, dirty, wet, smashed, etc. I've also used it on several road trips and airplane flights and it's worked flawlesly. I even dropped it one time on accident from about waist level and I'm 6'4" so that's quite a fall! It still works great! Now I most often use it in my car since I don't have a CD player installed. I occassionaly take it to class with me, bumpin' my hip hop tunes as I stroll through campus.
Searchin' For A Song:
The only way to search for a particular song, besides skipping through hundreds of MP3s, is to type the entire artists name and/or the song title. I don't find this to be very convenient. Especially when I'm driving my car.
My friend's MP3 player has a function where you press a button that skips between the various folders (the way he organizes his MP3s) which is really fast and easy. This is one of my only criticisms of this product.
Display:
The display isn't particularly large and it doesn't have backlighting. These are my only other complaints. It has a four line display with fairly large letters so it's pretty easy to read.
Buttons:
The actual play control buttons are odd. They go in this order - play/pause, stop, skip forward, skip backward. So for a while I kept skipping through my albums from the last song to the first song. It was annoying, but I caught on quick...everyone that uses my CD player or goes to change songs in my car does the same thing until they realize that Memorex put the buttons in the wrong spot.
Anyway, there are seven buttons (plus the 4 control buttons) with letters and numbers so you can search through your tracks. There is also a mode, programming/equilizer, ESP (electronic shock protection), Resume, File/Directory, Display, and File/Search buttons.
Electronic Shock Protection (ESP):
The electronic shock protection works really well in making sure your music play uninterrupted. For regular format CDs you get a solid 45 seconds of protection. For MP3s you get a whopping 120 seconds! I was pretty impressed by this. But when you compare it to digital MP3 players that's not so good since they don't skip!
Battery Life:
If you plan on using this on the go be sure to stock a lot of batteries in your backpack and at home. It eats through batteries fairly quickly. It seems to me that "battery low" warning is flashed way to early. It will usually keep playing for several hours after the warning first shows. I have listened to music on a pair of those new fancy Energizer batteries for about 8 hours - non-stop! We were doing a bunch of cleaning and stuff in our barracks in basic training.
Headphones:
The included headphones are actually pretty darn good. I don't use them. In fact, I gave them to a friend because I have a nice pair of Sony headphones that are way better. The headphones go around the head and curl over the ear. They are very comfortable and provide great sound. The cord is a bit short though. If you put the CD player in a backpack or even your pocket, unless you are short it won't be long enough. Not bad though. I like 'em.
Overall Deal:
The CD/MP3 player is a stylish metalic looking case with silver and white buttons. It's a great looking piece of equipment and for many of us that is important. It is also very durable! This is a major plus. Too many electronics products are made so poorly that they breakdown easy with even the most minor use. There's a line out and headphone jack on the left side of the player along with the volume control. On the front is the release switch to open the cover so you can change CDs. It plays CD, CD-R, and CD-RW discs in either regular or MP3 format. It can run on 2 AA batteries or a DC cord which is included. You can get this model with or without a car kit. Mine didn't come with one and Target didn't have the version with it. The sound quality of this product is really good. I was and am impressed.
Final Say:
I would recommend this CD/MP3 player if you want to be able to play regular CDs as well as MP3s. Carrying a pure MP3 player isn't always best, especially if you want access to friends CDs (CD swaps on trips). But maybe that's just me. I do prefer digital MP3 players but this works good too. Like I said, the only improvement I would make is searching through the different folders (if you organize that way).
Thanks For Reading My First Electronics Submission!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 64.99
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Epinions.com ID:
spongebob_man1
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Location: Vancouver, WA
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